Keating Channel Precinct Plan
The Keating Channel Precinct will be the first neighborhood of Toronto’s Lower Don Lands. The Precinct will stitch together the city fabric around the northeast corner of the Toronto Inner Harbor. It will provide new and improved connections to the existing communities to the north and east and the emerging communities of East Bayfront and the West Don Lands. The Precinct will contain a bold and harmonious mix of city amenities, new and improved infrastructure, and parks and open spaces serving a diverse population of residents, workers, and visitors. The plan mandates a green approach to design, developing sustainable methods of flood protection, soil remediation, stormwater management, and energy production systems. In addition, the built form of the Keating Channel Precinct will facilitate social connections, prioritizing diversity, comfort, and accessibility.
The organization of the Lower Don Lands plan, and within it the Keating Channel Precinct, starts with the realignment of the Don River and the preservation of the Keating Channel. These two entities form an armature around which the rest of the plan is structured.
A continuous public realm of fine-grained streets and sidewalks will be integrated into the surrounding neighborhoods, structuring the Precinct on both sides of the historic channel.
Keating Channel Parks and Public Realm Plan
Ground-Floor Program and Massing
Low- and mid-rise buildings will create a human-scale street front throughout the city fabric, while a few strategically placed high-rises frame major public and civic spaces. Massing of buildings is composed to protect views and sunlight in the public realm.
Cherry Street Bridge
Existing (top) and Proposed (bottom) Roadway Network
Illustrated massing derived from solar exposure planes and wind modeling for a sample area of the Lower Don Lands.
The combination of base buildings framing streets and major public spaces, along with mid-rise and a few strategically placed high-rise elements, will blend into the surrounding city fabric.
MVVA developed site-specific solar exposure planes and design guidelines for the Keating Channel precinct that were used to amend the City of Toronto Zoning By-Law. These design guidelines allow flexibility for each developer within a set of architectural massing typologies for mid-rise buildings and residential towers.
Block Plan
Stormwater
Parking and Servicing
Transit
